Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [277]
If you’d rather get around the lake yourself, you can hire bikes at Bike It ( 746 430; Bahnhofstrasse 1, Starnberg; per day €15-20). Paul Dechant ( 121 06; Hauptstrasse 20), near the S-Bahn station, hires rowing, pedal and electric-powered boats from €11 per hour.
Starnberg is 31 minutes on the S6 from Munich Hauptbahnhof (€4.60 or four strips of a Streifenkarte). To get to Starnberg by car from Munich, take the A95 and drive about 20km southwest.
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ANDECHS
Founded in the 10th century, the gorgeous hilltop monastery of Andechs ( 08152-3760; www.andechs.de; admission free; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 9.45am-6pm Sun) has long been a place of pilgrimage, though today more visitors come to slurp the Benedictines’ fabled ales.
The church owns two relics of enormous importance: branches that are thought to come from Christ’s crown of thorns, and a victory cross of Charlemagne, whose army overran much of Western Europe in the 9th century. In the Holy Chapel the votive candles, some of them over 1m tall, are among Germany’s oldest. The remains of Carl Orff, the composer of Carmina Burana, are interred here as well.
Outside, soak up the magnificent views of the purple-grey Alps and forested hills before plunging into the nearby Bräustüberl ( 08152-376 261; 10am-8.45pm), the monks’ beer hall and garden. There are seven varieties of beer on offer, from the rich and velvety Doppelbock dark to the fruity unfiltered Weissbier. The place is incredibly popular, and on summer weekends you may have to join a queue of day-trippers at the door to get in.
The easiest way to reach Andechs is to take the S5 to Herrsching (€6.90, 48 minutes), then change onto bus 951 or the private Ammersee-Reisen bus (€2.20, 11 times daily). Alternatively, it’s a pleasant 4km hike south from Herrsching through the protected woodland of the Kiental.
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BAD TÖLZ
08041 / pop 17,600
Situated some 40km south of central Munich, Bad Tölz is a pretty spa town straddling the Isar. The town’s gentle inclines provide a delightful spot for its attractive, frescoed houses and the quaint shops of the old town. At weekends thousands flock here from Munich to enjoy the ultramodern swimming complex, Alpine slide and hiking trips down the river. Bad Tölz is also the gateway to the Tölzer Land region and its emerald-green lakes, the Walchensee and the Kochelsee.
Every year on 6 November, its residents pay homage to the patron saint of horses, Leonhard. The famous Leonhardifahrt is a pilgrimage up to the Leonhardi chapel on Kalvarienberg, where townsfolk dress up in traditional costume and ride dozens of garlanded horse carts to the strains of brass bands.
Bad Tölz tourist office ( 786 70; www.bad-toelz.de; Marktstrasse 48; 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) doubles as the museum ticket office.
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Sights & Activities
ALTSTADT
Cobble-stoned and car-free, Marktstrasse is flanked by statuesque town houses with ornate overhanging eaves that look twice as high on the sloping street. The Stadtmuseum ( 504 688; Marktstrasse 48; adult/concession €2/1.50; 10am-4pm, Tue-Sun) touches on practically all aspects of local culture and history, with a fine collection of painted armoires (the so-called Tölzer Kasten), a 2m-tall, single-stringed Nonnengeige, examples of traditional glass painting and a cart used in the Leonhardifahrt.
In a side alley a few steps south of Marktstrasse, through Kirchgasse, is the Pfarrkirche Maria Himmelfahrt (Church of the Assumption; Frauenfreithof), a late-Gothic three-nave hall church enduring some serious renovation at the time of research. Wandering down Marktstrasse, you’ll soon spot the baroque Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church; Franziskanergasse 1) across the Isar. Surrounded by lovely gardens, its blanched interior is enlivened by several beautiful altars.
Above the town, on Kalvarienberg, looms Bad Tölz’ landmark, the twin-towered Kalvarienbergkirche (Cavalry Church). This enormous baroque structure stands side by side with the petite